Sen. Ron Wyden to be Treated for Prostate Cancer

Sen. Ron Wyden, right, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski, left, listen to problems confronting Oregon National Guard veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan during a meeting at the Oregon National Guard Armory in Tigard, Ore., Tuesday, April 3, 2007.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon announced in a statement today that he was diagnosed in late November with early stage prostate cancer and will undergo surgery on Monday.

"Thanks to routine screening, this was diagnosed very early and I expect a full and speedy recovery," Wyden said in the statement.

Wyden said he scheduled the surgery for Monday, anticipating that the Senate would be on its Christmas break. However, the Senate is still working its way through a handful of bills that are critical to Democrats, and it appears Wyden could miss Senate votes tomorrow and possibly next week. In the coming days, the Senate is expected vote on an omnibus spending bill to fund the government, the U.S.-Russia START nuclear treaty and a repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Wyden said he expects to be back at work full time when Congress reconvenes in January.

"If anything is taken away from my experience, I hope it is the importance of getting routine physicals," he said. "One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. Early detection is critical to catching this disease when treatment is most effective."

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.